WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama declared a major disaster exists in New Jersey Wednesday, ordering federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by Hurricane Irene.

Obama’s signing of the disaster declaration came hours after the White House announced the president would visit Paterson, N.J., Sunday to view the damage caused by Irene. The declaration makes federal funding available to affected individuals in the counties of Bergen, Essex, Morris, Passaic and Somerset.

More than 1,500 residents have been displaced in the northern New Jersey city of Paterson, which continues to battle floodwaters from the swollen Passaic River that have made the downtown area inaccessible, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate traveled to New York and New Jersey Wednesday to survey the damage caused by Irene, as well as the response and recovery efforts.

Ahead of Obama’s disaster declaration, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie urged the government to expedite aid to New Jersey residents affected by the storm.

“We don’t have time to wait for folks in Congress to figure out how they want to offset this stuff with other budget cuts,” Christie said at a press conference at a Lincoln Park, N.J., firehouse. “Our people are suffering now and they need support now.”

“Nobody was asking about offsetting budget cuts in Joplin,” Christie said, referring to aid that was directed toward Joplin, Mo., where a tornado killed 141 people in May. “And I don’t want to hear about the fact that offsetting budget cuts need to come first.”

According to The Wall Street Journal, FEMA had more than $2.4 billion in its disaster-relief fund days after the Joplin tornado, but the agency said Monday that just under $800 million remained.

Obama also signed a disaster declaration Wednesday for eight New York counties and seven North Carolina counties that were hit hard by Irene.